Lenten Speaker Series

Lent 2019 Speakers

Save the date for our annual Lenten Speaker Series. We welcome all to join us as we enjoy three evenings of listening and learning from these dynamic speakers. This year we are honored to have Fr. John Kartje, Kevin Matthews and Elizabeth White. Bring a friend, invite a neighbor and come spend an hour with us during this season of Lent.

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Fr. John Kartje

March 11, 2019

Father John was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2002. He has served in parish and campus ministry in both Chicago and Washington, DC, as well as Mundelein Seminary where he has taught scripture since 2009. He was appointed the rector at Mundelein in 2015. Father John holds doctorate degrees in scripture (Catholic University of America) and in astrophysics (University of Chicago).

Seeking Hope in Times of Transition: St. Peter as a Lenten Spiritual Master

The Lenten call to personal renewal often requires the suffering of change. We will carefully follow the life of Peter throughout the New Testament as a powerful witness and spiritual guide in the midst of the fear and confusion that a call to conversion can incite.

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Kevin Matthews

March 27th

In 2008, Kevin Matthews, a well-known ABC and CBS radio personality in Chicago, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As the drive-time radio host for seventeen years on AM 1000, The Loop and ABC and CBS radio, and also the voice of his sports commentator, Jim Shorts, and other characters, Matthews entertained ten million listeners weekly, sold out every appearance in the Midwest, and performed in front of 65,000 fans at Grant Park. He traveled around the world, met the famous, had babies named after him, and helped countless charities. He entertained hundreds of thousands of people inside prisons, army bases, and backyards. His promotions included comedy jams, a band, barbeque throw downs, and golf outings.

"Broken Mary" is Matthews' story of his early years in radio and stand-up comedy, his successful career, his struggle with MS, his awakening to the dignity of women, and, importantly, his chance encounter with a broken statue of Mary left next to a dumpster, and all that happened as a result. Told with Matthews' signature good humor, this confession of the brokenness of mankind is touchingly honest, personally inspiring, and full of hope. Books will be available for purchase and for autographs immediately after the presentation.

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Elizabeth J. White

April 2nd

Elizabeth (Beth) White serves as the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship and as the Co-Leader of the Evangelization Priority for the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Renew My Church Initiative. Beth previously served as the Vice President of Advancement at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago where she was responsible for fundraising, strategic planning, and communications. During her tenure, she worked with ABC News’ 20/20 to help bring Pope Francis to Cristo Rey “virtually” through a live satellite conversation with students that aired on 20/20 in advance of the Pope’s visit to the United States in 2015.

Prior to her time at Cristo Rey, Beth served in various roles in Catholic organizations, mostly focused in the area of communications. She was the Director of Marketing and Communications for Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, helped parishes with their communication plans and tools through Parish Growth Partners, and was the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Boston’s Advancement Office.

Beth also served as a Pastoral Associate/Director of Religious Education at Christ the King Parish in Evansville, Indiana, while earning her M.A. in Theology from St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana. She is an active parishioner at St. John of the Cross in Western Springs, Illinois, where she serves as Vice Chair of the Parish Advisory Council. She has one daughter, Megan, who is a sophomore at St. Louis University.